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Terrence Howard wants divorce settlement overturned

On behalf of Leahy Cox, LLP posted in Divorce on Thursday, August 20, 2015.

Actor and star of the popular Empire TV show, Terrence Howard, recently divorced his third wife, but the settlement controversy that has him back in court stems from his second wife. According to Howard, the divorce settlement was more than just unfair -- it was extortion. He is now in a bid to have that previous settlement overturned.

Most divorced parents in Oregon are familiar with the concept of petitioning the court for a change in a child custody arrangement, and even non-parents might have a grasp of this concept due to requests for adjustments in alimony. While petitioning for a change in the whole divorce settlement might be less common, it is still possible to accomplish so long as a valid reason can be substantiated. Howard claims that when he and his second ex-wife, Michelle Ghent, divorced in 2012, she threatened to expose personal and embarrassing information about him if he did not agree to the terms in the settlement.

As part of his petition to have the settlement invalidated, Howard testified that Ghent claimed to be in possession of videos that depicted him nude and dancing as well as information that he had engaged in over-the-phone sex during the course of their marriage. He believed that Ghent would have released all of this information had he not agreed to her terms. Ghent, on the other hand, says that the allegations are false and that he misinterpreted one mention of a video that she could possibly sell. In addition to the ongoing settlement controversy, Ghent also currently has a restraining order against Howard for a physical dispute that occurred in 2013.

Although a divorce settlement cannot be overturned in Oregon simply because one party is displeased with the final results, there are situations that can validate an individual's petition to have it invalidated. One such example includes extortion, which Howard is currently claiming occurred during his divorce. Other factors that might contribute to a petition to have a settlement invalidated include hidden assets, purposeful misrepresentation and fraud.

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